DIVISION OF BOTANY. 95 



coiiiitry. 'I^'lie recent disturl)aiices in China have interfered to some 

 extent with tliis work, and we are as yet nncertain what resnlts have 

 been accomplished. 



The expedition conducted at the expense of Hon. Barlxnir Lathrop, 

 in whicli Mr. Latlirop and Mr. David (t. Fairchild bore honorary 

 commissions from the Department of Agriculture, has resulted in the 

 introduction of some very promising plants from various parts of the 

 world, particularly Egypt, and in the securing of a lai'ge amount of 

 valuable information regarding i^ossible introductions, which has cour- 

 teousl}" been placed at the disposal of the Department of Agriculture. 



SEED LABORATORY. 



In addition to the testing of the seeds included in the Congressional 

 distribution, the assistant in charge of the seed laboratory has con- 

 ducted an investigation of certain important commercial seeds which 

 are frequently found on the market in a defective condition, the 

 buyers of which suffer losses aggregating large amounts. Special 

 attention was paid to crimson clover, red clover, and beardless brome 

 grass. 



Special studies were made also in the technique of the artificial ger- 

 mination of seeds. Heretofore we have been working on the basis of 

 the ritles adopted by the European seed-control stations, which 

 require that most of the testing be done at a constant temperature of 

 20° C. Our experience has been that this temperature is not always 

 satisfactory. Contradictory results have been obtained with Keu- 

 tiicky blue grass, lettuce, tobacco, and vine seeds, and it has been 

 necessary to conduct careful tests in order to settle finally on the 

 best methods of germinating these seeds. The results of these 

 investigations will be given in reports to be submitted hereafter for 

 publication. 



TRIAL GROUNDS. 



In addition to the field tests for trueness to name of the seeds 

 included in the Congressional distribution, the trial grounds at Ken- 

 sington, Md. , have been tised this j-ear to continue and verify the 

 tests of the lettuces offered by American seedsmen, and to make field 

 trials of a few other novelties or interesting varieties in the line of 

 vegetables. A discussion of the tests for trueness to name avIU be 

 taken up later in this report. The testing garden of the Potomac 

 Flats having now been in operation a year, and its utility and conven- 

 ience, as well as the fertilit}^ of the soil, having been demonstrated, 

 the trials heretofore condticted at Kensington will be transferred in 

 the spring of 1901 to the testing gardens on the Potomac Flats. 



PORTO RICO. 



As i^ointed out in the last annual report, the Division of Botany is 

 receiving a large number of inquiries about the cultivated plants of 

 the Tropics. Many of these inqtiiries relate to the possibilities of 

 economic plants in Porto Rico. A large part of the inqtiiries come 

 from men desirous of making investments in Porto Rican agricul- 

 tural lands, with a view to their early and active development. This 

 widespread and active interest of Americans give promise of a revo- 

 lution in tropical agriculture similar to that which has taken place 

 in the last half century in temperate agriculture. With this view 



